Sometimes we hang on to stuff just a little too long. It may be good stuff that just no longer fits where we are right now in life. Like these ice pops. They’ve been taking up space in my house for well over a year! A reminder of days long past when my kids and the neighbors would be running around all summer and I would have a cold, refreshing treat ready.
They’ve been collecting dust (or ice crystals as the case may be) in our extra freezer for a while, and I just kept moving them around the shelves or door buckets just hoping that maybe someday they would come in handy for a summer party or youth group activity. But I’ve been lying to myself. Nobody remembers they are in there. Nobody really likes them on a regular basis anymore. Nobody reaches for them.
I almost threw them out on moving day (2 months ago), but thought, “Oh that will be a nice treat for the movers if it’s a hot day.” But alas, they got packed in the coolers and moved without being touched. AND they got unpacked into my regular every day freezer. It took me TWO MONTHS to finally decide that they just don’t fit and they don’t serve a purpose and I’m cleaning out the clutter.
The same could be said for the books we cleaned out for our yard sale, the clothes that no longer fit, the broken toys and kids games with missing pieces. The point is things that once filled a need, had a useful purpose, brought us joy … no longer do. And it’s okay to clean things out.
It’s also okay to clean out routines that aren’t working anymore, the job that has become dead end, friendships that have run their course. It’s okay to let go of good things that are getting in the way of long term goals, spiritual growth, deeper relationships.
I looked at this sink full of melting ice pops and realized God was even speaking to me through frozen sugar water. I know He wants me to make room for kingdom work—writing, relationships, more time in His word, paying attention to the ordinary, reaching my circle of influence.
I’ve been feeling stuck lately, wanting to focus more on my writing, but not sure what needs to be cleaned out of the clutter of my schedule. Obviously, I can’t drop my job, or helping my kids, or feeding my family, etc. but I can ask for help and delegate, and I can spend a whole lot less time on my phone and a whole lot more time with Jesus and giving thanks in all things.
“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us,”
Hebrews 12:1
So yes, get rid of the stuff that is weighing you down, confess and forsake the besetting sins, and put your focus on Jesus and how He would have you work and live for God’s Kingdom here on earth.
What is a hindrance in your life? What needs cleaned out of “your freezer” to make space for more useful, more Kingdom-minded things?
Julie A Wilson 